UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  agricultural  Experiment  Station 

College  of  agriculture  e.  j.  wickson,  director 

BERKELEY,   CALIFORNIA 


CIRCULAR  No.  41 

(November,  1908) 


The  School  of  Agriculture 


on    the 


UNIVERSITY   FARM 


Davis,    California 


Opens   January   5th,    1909 


DORMITORY,    UNIVERSITY    FARM 


CALENDAR,  SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE,  1909. 

Entrance  examinations  and  registration Tuesday,  January  5 

Instruction  begins Wednesday,  January  6 

Washington 's  Birthday Monday,  February  22 

Recess  of  one  week Saturday,  March  27 — Monday,  April  5 

First  term  ends Friday,  May  28 


The  California  Farmer  Boy  asks  some 
Pertinent  Questions. 


WHAT  IS  THE  UNIVERSITY  FARM? 

A  tract  of  land  covering-  780  acres  which  was  purchased  in  1906  by 
the  State  of  California  for  the  University  of  California,  to  use  through 
its  College  of  Agriculture  for  conducting  experiments  and  for  giving 
instruction  to  students  in  agriculture. 

WHERE  IS  THE  UNIVERSITY  FARM? 

It  lies  on  the  west  side  of  the  town  of  Davis  and  on  the  north  bank 
of  Putah  creek  in  Yolo  county.  Davis  is  13  miles  west  of  Sacramento 
and  ten  miles  south  of  Woodland.  It  is  at  the  junction  of  two  branches 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad, — one  leading  to  Oregon  and  the  other 
to  the  east.  A  vineyard  on  the  farm  lies  along  the  west  side  of  the 
railroad  and  the  buildings  can  be  seen  about  one-half  mile  to  the  west. 

WHAT  KIND  OF  FARM  WORK  IS  BEING  BONE? 

Forty  acres  are  devoted  to  experiments  in  improving  the  yield  and 
quality  of  cereals  such  as  barley,  wheat  and  oats.  Alfalfa  and  other 
legumes  are  also  being  tested  to  find  best  varieties  for  forage  and  cover 
crops.  Nearly  thirty  acres  are  in  charge  of  the  U.S.  Department  of 
Agriculture  for  investigations  in  methods  of  irrigation.  Twenty  acres 
of  orchard  and  vineyard  have  been  planted.  Eighty  acres  are  in 
alfalfa  for  feeding  stock.  The  major  portion  is  in  grain  and  hay  and 
is  being  gradually  turned  over  for  experimental  purposes. 

WHAT  BUILBINGS  ARE  ON  THE  FARM? 

A  dairy  building  containing  boiler  and  engine  room,  work  rooms 
for  separators,  churning  and  cheese  making,  milk  testing  laboratory, 
two  class  rooms  and  offices;  a  pavilion  for  large  meetings  and  stock 
judging;  a  dairy  barn  accommodating  fifty-two  milking  cows  and  an 
equal  number  of  calves,  bulls  and  other  stock ;  a  seed  house  with  labora- 
tory and  store  rooms  for  cereal  investigations ;  a  two  and  a  half  story 


dormitory  accommodating  sixty  boys;  a  one  story  building  now  used 
for  horticultural  laboratory  and  animal  husbandry  office;  an  eighty 
fool  water  tower  with  30,000  gallon  tank;  two  cottages  and  a  group  of 
ranch  barns  used  for  work  stock,  tools  and  hay. 

IS  ANY  INSTRUCTION  BEING  GIVEN? 

Five  short  courses  in  agriculture  are  now  completed  or  under  way. 
A  dairy  course  began  October  5th,  and  continues  to  November  25th. 
An  eight  days  course  in  poultry  husbandry  closed  October  20th  and  a 
three  weeks  course  in  irrigation  and  general  agriculture  on  October 
31st.  A  four  weeks  course  in  animal  industry  began  October  21st, 
and  a  three  weeks  course  in  horticulture  and  viticulture  on  November 
4th.  The  total  number  of  enrollments  in  the  five  courses  is  115.  The 
School  of  Agriculture  and  courses  for  four-year  students  in  the  College 
of  Agriculture  from  Berkeley,  begin  in  January  next. 

WHAT  IS  MEANT  BY  THE  SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE? 

It  is  in  the  nature  of  an  agricultural  high  school,  since  the  academic 
studies  are  of  the  same  grade  as  those  in  high  schools,  and  the  agricul- 
tural studies  are  taught  in  a  way  to  be  readily  understood  by  boys  of 
high  school  age. 

WHAT  ARE  THE  STUDIES? 

The  first  year  they  are  English  5  periods  per  week,  arithmetic  3 
periods,  soils  7  periods,  botany  and  plant  propagation  9  periods  and 
dairy  industry  7  periods.  Farm  practice  will  be  given  as  the  needs  of 
the  student  indicate.  Recitation  periods  are  45  minutes  each.  In 
the  agricultural  subjects  one-third  are  recitation  periods,  and  two- 
thirds  laboratory  periods,  the  latter  being  one  hour  in  length. 

The  second  and  third-year  studies  will  be  horticulture,  animal  hus- 
bandry, poultry  husbandry,  irrigation,  farm  mechanics,  carpentry, 
forge  work,  agricultural  chemistry,  land  surveying,  cereals,  grasses 
and  forage  crops,  drawing  and  planning  farm  buildings,  agricultural 
physics,  English,  history,  civics,  algebra,  geometry. 

HOW  OLD  MUST  A  BOY  BE  TO  ENTER? 

He  must  be  at  least  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  must  also  give  satis- 
factory evidence  of  good  moral  character  and  good  behavior.  We  ask 
his  teacher  and  friends  to  tell  us  about  the  latter. 


Creamery,  Pavilion,  and  Cottage  No.  1. 


One  of  the  'Varsity  Eights. 


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General  Plan  or  Buildings 
UNIVERSITY   FARM 

Davis  ,  Yolo  County,    California. 

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GeMERXL  LABORATORIES 


Some  of  the  Young  Stock.     Alfalfa  at  the  Right. 


Creamery — Separator  and  Churning  Rooms. 


WHAT  SCHOOL  TRAINING  MUST  HE  HAVE? 

He  should  have  completed  the  eighth  grade  of  the  grammar  school. 
If  he  holds  a  grammar  school  certificate  he  will  be  admitted  without 
examination.  If  he  does  not  hold  such  a  certificate,  he  Avill  be  admitted 
upon  passing  an  examination  in  English,  arithmetic,  United  States 
history  and  geography,  covering  the  usual  work  done  in  the  grammar 
schools. 

WHAT  IS  THE  METHOD  OF  ENTERING? 

Fill  out  the  application  found  in  this  circular  and  mail  to  Univer- 
sity Farm,  Davis.  Send  your  grammar  school  certificate  at  the  same 
time.  If  you  have  no  certificate,  but  wish  to  take  the  entrance  exam- 
ination, send  the  recommendations  of  your  former  teacher  or  county 
superintendent  with  the  application.  You  will  soon  receive  a  letter 
from  the  Superintendent  of  University  Farm  Schools  telling  of  the 
action  on  your  application. 

Leave  home  in  time  to  arrive  in  Davis  on  Tuesday,  January  5th, 
1909.  If  you  are  to  take  the  examination  you  will  need  to  to  come 
earlier,  for  it  begins  at  9  o'clock  that  morning.  All  students  register 
for  the  school  that  afternoon  between  2  and  5  o'clock. 

WHERE  DO  THE  BOYS  LIVE? 

In  a  dormitory  which  has  rooms  for  about  sixty.  For  the  first 
year  meals  will  not  be  provided  on  the  Farm,  but  can  be  obtained  in 
town  adjoining. 

The  rooms  are  furnished  with  everything  needful  except  bed  linen 
and  blankets.  Each  student  must  bring  his  own,  and  should  have  two 
double  blankets,  two  pair  of  sheets,  three  pillow  cases,  and  hand  and 
bath  towels.  The  most  of  the  beds  are  three-quarter  size,  the  re- 
mainder one-half  size. 

On  each  floor  of  the  dormitory  are  ample  bath  rooms  with  shower 
and  tub  baths,  toilets  and  lavatories.  On  the  first  floor  is  a  large 
living  room  with  a  fireplace,  book  cases  and  everything  to  make  it 
home-like. 

WHAT  IS  THE  COST  OF  THE  COURSE? 

For  the  first  term,  January  to  May,  1909,  a  laboratory  fee  of  $5.00 
will  be  charged  each  student  to  cover  the  cost  of  materials  used.  A 
deposit  of  $5.00  will  be  required  to  pay  for  breakage  of  glass-ware  or 


apparatus.     The  fee  for  the  full  year  will  be  $10.00,  while  the  deposit 
will   remain  $5.00. 

Board  and  room  cost  not  to  exceed  $25.00  per  month.  Books  and 
regular  school  supplies  amount  to  about  $15.00  per  year.  Special 
clothing,  like  white  suits  in  the  dairy  and  overalls  and  jumpers  are 
also  needed,  possibly  two  suits  per  year  at  one  dollar  each.  The  total 
for  an  eight-months  year  is  thus  about  $240.00. 

WHAT  IS  THE  LENGTH  OF  THE  COURSE? 

Regularly,  three  years.  Those  entering  in  January,  1909,  will 
finish  in  June,  1911 — two  and  one-half  years.  The  school  year  will, 
ordinarily,  begin  about  October  first  and  end  June  first. 

DOES  THE  SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE  PREPARE  FOR  COLLEGE? 

No.  Its  object  is  to  furnish  a  technical  training  in  agriculture  to 
those  who  feel  that  they  do  not  desire  or  are  not  able  to  pursue  a 
college  course.  After  finishing  the  course  in  the  school  a  student  can 
usually  make  up  the  remaining  necessary  college  entrance  subjects  at 
any  accredited  high  school,  in  one  or  two  years. 

IS  THE  COURSE  IN  AGRICULTURE  INTERESTING? 

To  a  boy  who  likes  country  life,  who  is  fond  of  plants  or  animals 
or  anything  in  nature,  it  is  the  most  interesting  course  of  study  he  can 
take.  Moreover,  this  study  of  nature  brings  out  what  is  best  in  the  boy 
and  makes  a  better  man  of  him.  It  also  gives  him  such  a  knowledge  of 
practical  affairs  that  his  earning  capacity  is  greatly  increased. 

ARE  GIRLS  ADMITTED? 

Not  the  first  year,  because  there  have  not  been  funds  sufficient  to 
provide  accommodations  for  them.  It  is  hoped  that  the  next  legislature 
will  make  an  appropriation  for  dormitories,  dining  room  and  labora- 
tories for  a  home  and  for  instruction  for  girls  in  household  arts.  This 
work  has  a  value  for  girls  very  similar  to  the  agricultural  course  for 
boys. 


AJEV 

V*  OF  THE 

;    UNIVERSITY 


